Photo: Courtesy of Sephora.
If you're heading out to the Meatpacking District this weekend, you may notice a big change at Sephora. Now, and for the entirety of 2014, the Ninth Avenue location will host a 3-D sculpture and animation by pop artist Keiichi Tanaami, commissioned exclusively for the beauty megastore.
Of course, this is not the first collaboration between Tanaami and the retailer — you may remember earlier this summer that the artist created original illustrations for their 15th anniversary. This time around, Tanaami has named the sculpture "Kannon of Beauty," as it is influenced by the image of Kannon Bosatsu, or the "God of Mercy," in Japanese Buddhism. He explains, "It is said that Kannon Bosatsu has 1,000 arms, extending mercy to 1,000 people. I have chosen to use only six hands, with each functioning as a magical device to enhance beauty." On the head of the statue sits a Kohai (halo), and below are fluttering butterflies, representing the eternality of beauty.
The animation, entitled "Adventures in Beauty Wonderland," is inspired by the story of Alice in Wonderland, but also nods to motifs from other seminal artworks, like Edvard Munch's "The Scream." A backdrop of cherry blossoms and flying lipsticks fit in perfectly with the surrounding plethora of get-pretty products. Plus, you can now totally justify an extra trip to Sephora. Just say you're going to an art show this weekend.